2010 Dodge Caliber: won't start

8 of the 157 complaints about the 2010 Dodge Caliber describe won't start.

owner complaints: 8
of this car's complaints: 5%
typical mileage: 94,763
recalls: 0

Is there a fix? 5 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below

Won't start by model year

2011
2
2010
8
2009
4
2008
5
2007
14

What owners say

Filed Dec 24, 2020 · CA

My car just turned off while driving and hasn't started again I have a no bus error on the odometer and I changed the crankshaft sensor and crankshaft position sensor and still won't start but all the lights and locks still work

Filed Feb 15, 2019 · Electrical · 117,777 miles · MN

While driving vehicle during winter, heat shut off. After turning heat back on (moving knob to off position and then back on) there was an electrical smoke smell in the cabin. Once the vehicle was parked, a large amount of smoke appeared to be coming from the air conditioner blower control knob and the area above the knob was hot to the touch almost to the point where I was concerned that I may need to call the fire department to have them check for fire. When car was turned on again, the blower motor would not start.

Filed Feb 14, 2019 · Electrical · 107,000 miles · NY

Dodge put the relay box right behind the driver side wheel well and this causes the snow, water, ice and elements to get into the relay box and corrode the relays and the actual relay box, this is a problem with a lot of the calibers going back to 2007 that I know of. This will cause your car not to start out of the blue, and the wires get corroded going from the fuse box to the relay box as well. Not sure why they would put this type of electrical equipment in front of the wheel well where the elements can get inside and do damage to electrical equipment that can be very pricy. This happened to my car with no warning, no acting up or issues, just died and would not start, my battery is brand new, it's not the starter it's the corroded relays and relay box.

Filed Nov 3, 2018 · Electrical, Steering · 190,000 miles · TX

Electrical throttle control light has popped up several times and I've noticed it's when it has rained. When this happens, the car slows down and causes forcefully pull over and shut the car off. It doesn't start after the first few tries and eventually does. The car began to overheat after driving it over 60mph for about 20mins. The car has given me the engine coolant temperature warning symbol when this happens, making an ugly almost screeching sound,slows down the car until I can't push the gas any longer causing me to pull over to turn off the car until it restarts again. The car is beginning to over heat after driving it for a long period of time over 20 mins this will began to happen. I've put coolant recently and not sure if there's a hole in the reservoir but I've done what I could to get this fixed. The car jolts after 3rd gear especially going up hill.

Filed Jun 20, 2016 · Brakes · 55,000 miles · MO

The brake does not totally engage in park. Often the vehicle will not start until the gear handle is wiggled and played with to get it all the away engaged.

Filed Aug 22, 2014 · Engine, Transmission · 94,763 miles · IN

While driving our 2010 dodge caliber on the interstate for approximately 1 hour in heavy traffic at 75mph the car suddenly starts to lose speed. The coolant light came on and a high pitch, whining sound came from the engine. We immediately had to get off the interstate. There is no warning and the car starts to lose power. The RPM's go up. We pulled off to the side, the car is in limp mode. No power and will not start. Called dodge 3-4 times and they only had record of 2. This has happened 10 different occasions on the interstate. The car is not safe to drive long distance. I took it into the dealership to be looked at and they said it was a service problem. It is a defective transmission and there needs to be a recall before there is a fatality. When you talk to chrysler customer care case management or the dealership you get the run around as to what the problem is or what mileage the actual transmission service should be done. I do know that your life should not be in jeopardy if it is a service issue. Whereas this is a defective transmission there should be a recall. Chrysler initiated the call back after they knew I had made an appointment to get the car looked at. I have gotten different stories from both chrysler customer care case management and the dealership as to just how many of the 2010 dodge calibers have this transmission problem. When I took it to the dealership they hadn't seen any that went into limp mode, but after they did their diagnostic they said they had seen 100's. That's a big discrepancy!!! I do not want anyone to become a statistic!!!

Filed Jun 3, 2013 · Electrical · 54,000 miles · NC

My car will not start with the factory key, or the replacement key. I got the replacement key about 1 year ago and this the third time that both keys will not crank the car. I had to wait 20 mins in the hot car until it would crank.

Filed Jan 27, 2012 · Electrical · 12,000 miles · NC

Every so often the car will not start when you put the key in the ignition and turn it. It does nothing, makes no noise. It acts as if you did nothing. You turn the key and nothing happens. Most times, when you turn the key back to the original position and try again, it will start as if nothing was wrong. It is just weird. This has happened to me at least 15 times over the past year and a half.